The Girl With The Crystalline Heart
by LiveLoveLaughDance13
Summary: Chloe and Derek's future daughter has to go back into the past to warn them before they can be killed. But can she complete her quest without altering the future?
1. Prologue

**Me: OOOH! I own Darkest Powers!**

**Chloe: Liar.**

**Me: Pleease. You're more of a liar than me.**

**Chloe: Oh yeah?**

**Me: Yeah.**

**Chloe: UNDEAD SQUIRELL ARMY ATTAAAACK!**

**Me: NOOOO! OK I ADMIT IT: I DON'T OWN DARKEST POWERS! RUN AWAAAAAY!**

I hummed softly to myself as I began the slow process of transforming my image. I watched as my hair turned mousy brown and my eyes turned a rich chocolate. My skin turned a peachy-tan color, and my facial features rearranged themselves. And then it was finished.

I looked in the mirror at my alibi, a girl I had named Sarah Saldana. My necklace, an heirloom my father had given to my mother the day before they died, at the hollow of my throat. I took one last look at my aunt lying exhausted on the couch before I turned to the attic door. I used my bobby pin to pick the lock, and then I walked inside.

I was an old musty room with things stuffed everywhere. A rocking horse from when I was 3, a stack of books on supernaturals. But the object of my focus was a jewelry box at the back of the room. I opened one of the drawers and pulled out a heart-shaped diamond. I thought firmly of my destination, and placed the diamond into the identical slot in my necklace.

As soon as the diamond and the necklace made contact, I felt the numbing buzz of my powers being dulled to a point. And then the real magic set in.

My fingers and toes tingled with raw forbidden magic, and I laughed when I thought of how _they_ would take it, if they ever found out.

But I had to do it. I had to go back to the past to save the future.


	2. Stalker

**Me: Man, that squirrel army was tough. But I defeated them with my DARKEST POWERS OWNAGE POWER!**

**Tori: What the crap are you talking about? YOU. OWN. NOTHING!**

**Me: I own this computer.**

**Tori: But not Darkest Powers.**

**Me: Whatever you want to think, Tori.**

**Tori: Fine. Be that way. ORANGE MAGIC FIREBALL ATTACK!**

**Me: NOO! FINE, I DON'T OWN DARKEST POWERS! I FEEL SO ABUSED!**

I found myself in Buffalo on a bus. One quick look around told me that this was where I needed to be. Simon and Chloe sat on the pair of seats to my right, and Tori and Derek sat in the back.

I turned my head away and gazed out the window. But my finely attuned senses were listening in on their conversations, waiting for the moment when Chloe and Derek get off the bus.

I knew this moment like the back of my hand. So when the bus stopped, I got off before they could and hid behind the building next to the gas station. I watched as Chloe and Derek walked into the woods, and I activated my powers.

I used my powers to mask my scent and to make me blend in with my surroundings. Then I lifted up into the air and flew above them, following until they stopped at a small clearing.

Derek dropped down to all fours and Chloe began rubbing his back. I scanned the perimeter, not wanting to watch the horrible changing process I knew oh-so-well. Then I spotted something.

The bus driver. _Crap._

I forgot all about him. He was looking for them, and was headed straight toward them. I placed a thought in his head: _It's very cold. I'm very cold. And I'm tired of looking. I'll just warn them that we're leaving in 5 minutes, with our without them._

And, just like that, he shouted a warning out into the woods, and then walked back to the bus. I flew back to Chloe and Derek to find that they were both asleep in the grass. I smiled.

I had a rude awakening the next morning- Chloe screaming bloody murder. I searched for signs of danger or possible attack, my defenses up. I rolled my eyes when I saw the source of her panic- a repeating scene of a young girl's murder. It honestly wasn't that bad- I'd seen worse.

I was debating whether or not to intervene, but soon Derek woke up and comforted her. His gaze swept across the forest, and stopped just short of me. Could he see me? He couldn't it wasn't possible. But his gaze remained. I exhaled softly in relief when a squirrel shot out from the bush in front of me, for this seemed to satisfy him and he went back to what he was doing. I needed to be more careful, because if they saw me, well, all hell would break loose.

I followed them during the day as they made their journey and watched over them as they slept. It was like this for quite a while, and I thought it was pretty funny the way they kept making small talk- they were both horrible at it. At one point, Derek had the oddest expression on his face that I burst out laughing. I realized my mistake and shielded myself in the trees, but he hadn't heard me. Another sigh of relief. Everything was all right. At least, until that night.

I don't know how_** two werewolves**_ got past my watch, but there they were, taunting them about being in "pack territory". I knew from the stories how they got away, but it was an entirely different thing to see in person.

I accompanied them as they ran through the streets. It was pretty tedious, because they ran _fast._ I could barely keep up, and that's saying something.

Then, we were there. Andrew's house. I watched closely as they went inside, discovered Andrew missing, and found Simon's note. I saw them reunite with Simon and Tori.

Simon asked Derek and Chloe what happened. Derek replied, "Sure. But first we need to take care of our little stalker."

My heart stopped as he whirled around and grabbed me by my collar.

"_Who are you?"_ He growled, _"And why are you following us?"_


	3. Captured

**Chloe: What's wrong?**

**Me: Santa didn't get me what I wanted for Christmas!**

**Chloe: It's like three months after Christmas.**

**Me: So?**

**Chloe: Ok, so whaddaya want? Maybe I can get it for you.**

**Me: Ownership of Darkest Powers.**

**Chloe: HAHA LOOSER!**

**Me: YOU'RE SUCH A MEANER!**

My first thought was of my shield.

"You-you can see me?" I asked incredulously.

"Duh." He rolled his eyes, and then regained his focus. "Answer my question."

My shield failed! But how? I thought back on our trip, and then I realized-I had been shielding for days upon days. I mentally yelled at myself for being so stupid- I knew that without a break my powers would start to fizzle out.

_Crap._

I panicked, and my good sense automatically shut down. My arms crossed and my eyebrows raised, and I said possibly the stupidest thing I could have said in that situation

"Well, _maybe_ if you put me on the _ground_…"

I saw anger pass through his eyes, and I prayed to the lord that my disguise held up through all of this. His grip on my shirt tightened. I was dead.

Then, from behind him came a timid voice. "H-how o-old are y-you?" _Chloe._ She would come to my defense. She was afraid he would hurt me-she could see that I wasn't as old as them.

My gaze traveled down to where my feet dangled in the air, and I sighed. "Thirteen. I'm…thirteen"

Derek's eyes widened in horror as he dropped me to the ground. "You're out here…alone?" he whispered.

I fixed my shirt and glared at him. "Of course I am," I said, venom snaking into my voice, "My parents are dead. Murdered, in fact." _Because of me,_ I wanted to add, _It was my fault._

Derek was still frozen in shock. Chloe was trembling slightly. I couldn't see Simon or Tori, but I was sure they were doing something like that.

Derek came out of his frozen state, but still carried an air of fragility. "Why are you here?" he repeated with less anger than before.

I doubted, _Well, you see, you and Chloe are my parents and I had to come back to the past to warn you guys so you wouldn't get murdered by an evil supervillan that I may or may not have created_ would go down too well. So I simply stated, "I heard about you guys. I heard you escaped the Edison Group. And after what they've done to my family, I knew this was the place to go. I'm a genetically modified necromancer."

I wasn't really a genetically modified necromancer. That's what the necklace was for, partially. It could mask me, make me seem like a necromancer to other supernaturals. But I was much, much more.

Derek looked suspicious. "Name?" he asked, a bit gruffly. No more feelings for the werewolf, then.

"Sarah." I automatically answered, "Sarah Saldana."

Derek glanced behind him toward Chloe. She replied, "It wasn't on the list."

"I'm not Genesis _two._" I stated as if it were obvious. Confidence is key. "Do I look old enough? No, I'm Genesis _three_."

Their eyes all shot up in surprise. "Three?" Derek growled.

"Oh. You didn't know about that." _Crap Crap CRAP!_ Genesis three was a future thing! _Please believe it, please believe it!_

Derek interrupted my silent pleas with a "Fine. But we need the whole story." He glared at me. I glared back, but colder, more intense. I had his glare times three. He didn't shrink back or whimper like most people, but he did stop glaring.

They set up a watch schedule, which to my growing discontent I was not on. I knew I couldn't sleep anyway, so I went to the roof to watch Chloe talk to Derek in the woods. I relished those moments- when Derek and Chloe suddenly became Mom and Dad to me. Cold, wet tears dribbled down my face.

_Mom and Dad_. That wasn't them, not really, and I missed them. I missed the spark in their eyes when they saw each other-when they saw me. I knew that I had to fight for them, I had to stop Pyre from killing them.

_Pyre._ The name sent shivers down my spine. I would get my revenge on him, but it was harder now, because in this time he was… moderately decent.

I sighed. Sitting up here was boring, but when the Edison Group attacked, I couldn't be caught. Changing the future-which I had already done- wasn't the best course of action.

I knew when they arrived. Backstabbing traitors. They thought Andrew was an ally. They thought Lauren was an ally. Boy were they wrong.

I crouched down to avoid them seeing me- and surprisingly everything went along to plan. I watched them avoid the hunters, and I saw the Edison Group's intricate ruse play out.

I watched Chloe freak out when she thought she was her Aunt, and I shook my head. Grandma was always trying to help, and in all the stories she was there. And Chloe always seemed to think it was her Aunt. She was so ignorant as a teen! My family just keeps confusing me.

They finally found Andrew and hijacked a van, and I relinquished my position on the roof. I ran over to where they were getting in, and flashed a smile.

"Forget something?" I asked. Tori rolled her eyes at me. "You're sitting in the back." She pointed to the trunk. My smile grew even wider. "Fine with me!" I climbed in the trunk and laughed at the shocked expression on her face as I closed the doors.

We drove for a very long time, until we reached a Victorian mansion. I climbed out of the trunk and looked with awe upon the building. "What's wrong with you?" Derek snapped. My gaze remained on the building. There was an odd feeling in my gut, making me want to crack up laughing and start bawling at the same time.

"Reminds me of home." I said and began walking towards the front door.

"How does _this_ remind you of _home_?" Chloe asked incredulously, and began to follow me towards the large front doors embellished with iron flowers that I had grown up seeing every day.

_It reminds me of home,_ I thought, _Because it is._


	4. Update

**Hey people! Before you yell at me, no this is not a new chapter, which I am also sorry about. But I have a good excuse. I have LOTS of excuses, hehe. One is, I totally forgot what happens in the books and I needed to borrow Sarah's book, which she took her time to give to me. And also, this chapter is going to be at least 10 times longer than the others, and it goes all the way to Split Reality, which is the awesome chapter where things start to get interesting.**

** I would like to add something. One, don't insult my work. Someday I will be a famous book writer and I will specifically mention YOU and tell everyone to hate you, and believe me, they would (yes my book is that good). Two, if you know what's going to happen, please don't comment on it because the last thing I need is for someone to find out the long and complicated plot I have planned for this story.**

** Sarah and I were having a "bad things I can do to your character" battle. Her worst comment: She was going to have me valiantly sacrifice myself to let the others get away. My worst comment: Sending her to an alternate dimension in which she gets trapped in which certain sparkly vampires reside (lol I called it THE TWILIGHT ZONE! GET IT?). Guess who wins? I think you know. **

**IF YOU COMMENT I WILL GIVE YOU A COOKIE! I shall make a batch while I listen to show tunes!**

** ~ Emox (YAYZ SPANADIAN!)**


	5. Home Sweet Home?

**Me: I OWN DARKEST POWERS! HEHE!**

**Sarah: No, you don't.**

**Me: I do and there's nothing you can do about it!**

**Sarah: How about we make a deal. You say you don't own Darkest Powers, and I say pianos are better than bunnies.**

**Me: OOOOH! PIANOS **_**ARE**_** BETTER THAN BUNNIES! SOOOO DEAL! I DON'T OWN DARKEST POWERS!**

**(If only this could happen in real life. *sigh*. Anyway, here are your cookies: (::) (::) NOMNOM EAT UP! P.S. One is for the awesome chick who commented, and the other is for Gigi, just cuz she said I was a good dancer. SARAH YOU GET NONE!)**

I surveyed the house while everyone else slept. It was, after all, the middle of the night, but I wasn't tired. I claimed my old (or was it new?) bedroom, locked the door, and manifested certain things to make it look like my room in the future.

After my renovations, I walked to my secret room. No one else could get there but me, because it used to be a room used for experiments. I had to move a large painting of a ballerina to find a small lock. I pricked my finger and let the blood drip into the hole- only the blood of a genetically modified supernatural could open it.

I crawled through the small hole and shut the painting behind me. The passageway slowly broadened until I could stand. There was a dead end where the passageway stopped. I placed my hands on the wall and murmured a small spell of my own design. The wall opened to reveal the ultimate hiding space.

There was a large window on one side, with a large blue cushion on the window seat. The room was completely empty and very dusty. I closed my eyes and manifested it to the way it was in the future. I opened them to look for my spell book.

Elizabeth Victoria's Spellbook it read in elegant handwriting. I opened it to the newest blank page and wrote _Appearance Changer _at the top. Then, in ancient Greek, I wrote:

_The person you see is not me_

_But a different one from my memories_

_And this ruse you will believe upon this midnight's eve _

I closed the book and sat it on my window seat. I sighed when the window showed it was almost daybreak, and I knew I had to be getting back to my room. I crawled back through the portrait hole, taking care to add protective charms all the way back.

I was halfway down the hallway when I heard a voice. Two voices, actually. _Chloe. _And… _ oh, crap! _ Royce. In the future, we were good friends, but I remember what he was like before Jayden came and talked some sense into him

My heart ached just thinking about Jayden. I shook my head. I was on a mission, and if I thought about his tousled black hair or the depth in his brown eyes, well, I might just go back to my own time.

I focused on the situation at hand. I placed a thought in Chloe's head. _You know he's up to no good, Chloe. _She didn't listen. Stupid, arrogant girl! Didn't she know who she was messing with? I sighed softly and followed her down the hall.

She followed Royce up the staircase. He waved his hand through the door- but the wrong one. _The roof._ Chloe didn't move though, which I took as a sign that she was coming to her senses. But I suppose I spoke too soon because – _click_ – she unlocked the door. _A dead bolt on an attic door, Chloe? _ I shoved the words in her head, worrying about what Royce's purpose was.

When she finally realized that Royce wasn't the guy he appeared to be – although it was obvious he was a Volo, not an Agito- she freaked out. And I finally realized what he was doing. When we first moved in he played this game with me. He lured me into the secret room and made me talk _on_ and _on_ about my life- friends, boyfriends, _feelings_- and I thoroughly despised it. But I played along because I _knew_ he could hurt me and I _knew_ that he would if he got the chance. Chloe – not as smart as me. She tried to control the situation, tried to interrogate him, and – _ping!_ - he hit her with a bottle cap.

Then he started to attack her, hitting her with planks of wood. She started to back up against the railing, and I knew I would have to interfere soon. I placed a thought in her head as I advanced toward the ghost. _Sure, that's a great idea. Just keep backing into the railing, see how long it'll hold._

I lifted my shield up just enough so that a ghost could see through it, but not a person. Royce spotted me and his eyes widened. I flashed a smile and got into a fighting stance. He seemed to realize what I was doing, and he started shouting.

"Don't you dare, little girl. You'll only piss me off and-"I cut him off with a snap kick that sent him spiraling back to the spirit world- at least for now.

I shielded fully and jumped on top of the roof just in time. Derek was sprinting towards Chloe. He got her off the walkway, and they sat and talked. I smiled- I saw the way they looked at each other. Chloe began to tell her story, and that wiped the smile right off my face. I just hate it when other people take credit for my hard work- because, believe me, Royce would have _murdered_ her if I hadn't been there.

Then, much to my displeasure, Simon came. I held back a growl as he transformed the Derek I knew into an emotionless machine. He held Chloe's hand and I gripped my necklace and tried not to interfere- the past just has to play out, and I'm just here to warn them. But that was the problem, you see. I had miscalculated, because I can't do anything until Chloe and Derek are together.

They all stood up and started toward the stairs. I flew down the wall and into my window. I stuck on some p.j.'s, ruffled my hair, and splashed some water on my face. I trudged down the stairs toward the kitchen, and I faked a yawn. When I walked in, Andrew was apologizing for the lack of food.

"Goood morning!" I shouted brightly, and everyone in the room-except Derek, of course- jumped. I've always taken pride in being a morning person, and today was no exception. Tori squinted her eyes at me and grumbled, "Aw, man. I was hoping you were just a nightmare."

I flashed a bright smile. No matter how much everyone else was different, Aunt Tori stayed the same. I hoisted myself onto the counter and said, "Nope with a capital P! I'm 100% real, Auntie!"

_Craaaap! I _suck _at this future-secret stuff._ My outside reflected none of my inner turmoil, though, and I remained cook and collected as Derek posed his usual suspicion question.

"Auntie?" He narrowed his eyes, and my 13 year old instincts took over as I rolled my eyes and came up with a cover story.

"Man, I heard you guys had been away from school, but I didn't think you'd been away _that_ long. _Everybody_ calls _everybody_ auntie. Well, the girls at least. It's _cool._" I said, not cracking or breaking my role of trendy teenage girl.

Simon started to spout some crap about not wanting to disturb Andrew's work, so I stopped paying attention. I noticed- well not much. The house wasn't that much different than what it was in the future.

"Right, Sarah?" Chloe asked. "Uhmm…what?" _Wow, Sarah. Great witty response. I _need _to pay attention._

"You said that you were a writer when we were talking earlier." Chloe's eyes were begging me to come and bail her out. So I decided to have a little fun.

"I dabble in songwriting. One time, I wrote and entire album of showtunes." I looked at Chloe as I said this. She gave me a grateful look. "I love musicals. Hey, Chloe, didn't you say something about being a screenwriter?"

She shot me a glare as Andrew asked to see some of her work. I slid off the counter and smiled so that only she could see. The doorbell rang, and I sprinted to the door. I could sense it was the mentors-with food.

I opened the door, grabbed the doughnuts from Margaret's hands, and slammed the door in her face. I ran back to the kitchen chanting "Doughnuts! Doughnuts!" all the way. But when I got to the kitchen, Derek took the doughnuts away from me, so I stomped on his toes. He dropped the box, and I used my super-sharp reflexes to catch it. Derek glared at me, but I just walked over and sat on the counter again. I pulled out a chocolate doughnut and shoved it in my mouth. I pointed to the bos, and stated through a mouth of doughnut, "MINE!"

** So, how was it? COMMENTS FOR COOKIES! And now I leave you wondering who Jayden is and… HEY I WAS GONNA SAY SOMETHING AND I JUST NOW REMEMBERED! Sorry it took so long peeps. And also- this is only about half this chapter(I KNOW, RIGHT!). The other half is going to be chapter 4: Powerful. Sorry I didn't get to split reality yet. Believe me, that's where things get GOOD.**

** ~Alix Marie**


	6. Powerful

**Me: Holy crap! Look who it is! The crystalline heart guys! Man, has it been a long time.**

**Sarah: Alix! Don't you pretend like you haven't been avoiding us.**

**Me: What? Aww come one, it hasn't been that long!**

**Chloe: She hasn't been avoiding us. She just totally forgot about us.**

**Me: I didn't forget! Ok, so maybe I might have, but I got a job! And a laptop!**

**Derek: That's no excuse. You're an abandoning jerk who, might I add, does not own Darkest Powers. **

**Me: Low blow dude, low blow. **

**I know I've been gone, but I really have been busy….i'm trying to launch a career, and that doesn't really leave much time for fanfiction. But I'm back and better than ever(I hope). So get your ticket and enjoy the show! Oh, and by the way, cookies for anyone who can spot the random references!**

I stood by a tree in the graveyard as Chloe and Margret did whatever they were doing. I couldn't be bothered to find out. My mind was swirling around, trying to grasp the concept of Chloe and Simon going on a date. I try to find a reason that they shouldn't do it that I could tell them, but the problem is he's just a great guy. Which is really inconvenient because I've sworn to loathe him for all eternity.

I looked over at what Chloe was doing to distract me from my thoughts. She was concentrating hard on sending the ghost back to the other side. _Ghosts_. My parents are ghosts. Dead. All because of that traitorous, backstabbing-

Crack.

That's the sound of my anger tapping into my powers. But also the sound of an entire zombie army rising. I mentally kicked myself for letting my anger get to me.

I hurriedly tried to restore order, but I was distracted. It really didn't help with Chloe freaking out. Eventually, I put them back, but it was harder than usual.

It was a quiet car ride, with Margaret refusing to talk and Chloe too scared to, I sat in silence. At least, until Derek found out. He was furious, more so than I've ever seen him. I wonder if he'll be this mad when he finds out that I've been time traveling, or if saving his life will make him forget?

I had volunteered to be on the search team for the mysterious locked room, mostly because that's where the entrance to my secret room was, and I couldn't risk Derek figuring out the future. Especially not now.

I could hear Chloe and Simon talking outside, and I barred my teeth. I tried to keep from growling, but my dad had always encouraged expressing your emotions, because he was always so bad at it when he was the age he is in this time. I couldn't help myself, though, when Andrew came in and mentioned the _date_. Derek didn't notice, though, because he was too busy growling himself.

When we got done searching we went to the boys' room to relate the contents of the basement. I sulked the whole time that Derek explained that it was a room full of storage, and my secret room , which thankfully Derek never found.

My spirits brightened a bit-not enough to smile, but enough to not sulk- when I saw Derek trying to prevent the date. I silently urged him on to not be a wimp and just ask her out already. It didn't work.

So I sulked along with Derek. Neither of us talked, or did anything, both wrapped up in our thoughts. When the sun started to set, I had gotten bored of sulking and decided to go outside for some fresh air. The house was always really stuffy.

So I walked outside and leaned against the wall, and tried to reassure myself with thoughts that, no matter what happened, they would end up together –and alive, if I had anything to do about it.

Being against the wall as I was, I was wrapped in shadow. So when Chloe and Simon came back, they couldn't really see me unless they actually looked. But I could see them.

I tried to think of the stories mom had told me, but this wasn't in them. This was a chapter long forgotten. So I just assumed the date went horrible, and Chloe went running to Derek, and they kissed and lived happily ever after, right? Wrong.

What really happened: Simon leaned down toward her, toward Chloe, toward my mother. And I couldn't contain myself. The anger, the shock, they betrayal, welled up in a single second, and, without thinking, I screamed.

Not a scream of anger. A scream of terror. And by the time they looked in my direction, ready to fight, I was sobbing. I ran past them, into the house, and they followed. But they weren't as fast or as cunning as I was. I went to the secret room and hid there for hours. I cried in shock for what I had almost witnessed, and sadness for what I had lost.

After a while, the Derek in me said to suck it up and move on. I was on a mission, and emotion could ruin everything. So I left the hiding place to see what was going on.

I first went to the kitchen. There was nobody in there, so I grabbed a candy bar and attempted to sneak upstairs without being noticed by anyone. But Derek couldn't be fooled by me. I had just reached into the cabinet when he walked in.

I stared at him with watery eyes and tear-stained cheeks. His eyes widened as he took in my appearance.

"What- where have you been?" he said a bit anxiously, "Everyone's been looking for you. What happened to you?"

I glared at him, as if it were his fault, and stormed upstairs. I went to Chloe and Tori's room and locked the door behind me. They both looked at me as if I were nuts. I just sat down and crossed my legs. They still just stared at me. I looked at them expectantly through my watery eyes until eventually, Tori just burst out, "What the HELL happened!"

Aah, Tori. She was never one for subtlety. But it was an accurate description. What the hell DID happen? Or at least, what was my cover? I had to think up a lie, and think it up quick. Now, why else do people scream and cry other than their mother almost kissing their uncle? Only other time I've done it is when I'm dreaming…

"I went outside, and kinda fell asleep." I sniffled, "And I had a nightmare." Tori snorted. "You expect us to believe you screamed in TERROR and ran away crying because of a silly little dream? You've got to be kidding me!"

I glared. "You didn't let me finish. I had a dream about the people who killed my parents. And when I woke up, I was still half dreaming. I thought Chloe and Simon were the people who killed my parents, and they were coming for me. You would have done the same if you were in that situation."

Chloe looked down at her toes, embarrassed for being on Tori's side. Tori just shrugged. "Oh well, these things happen. Friends?" she held out her hand as a peace offering. I shook her hand and leaned back into the wall. "So what's going on?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "I've been giving this genius kissing lessons. Apparently, she's never been kissed. Isn't that ridiculous?" I laughed. It was a real laugh, because now I know that this has never happened before. And because, honestly, even I had been kissed. Granted, by the boy I by now considered my soulmate (or mate, at least), but a kiss is a kiss.

Chloe looked offended. "Hey! It's not my fault I've never had a boyfriend!" She folded her arms and looked at us with indignation, but then blushed and said "N-not that I c-couldn't have had one! If I w-wanted one!" I laughed again. As long as they hadn't kissed, I was fine. Everything was good.

I smiled, and laughed, and had a good time, just the three of us. I hadn't had much fun since S came into being.

But I wouldn't think about that now. I would let my mind wander for a while, let myself act like a 13 year old girl for once. We stayed up late talking, doing each other's hair, and, at one point, playing truth or dare.

It was about 2:00 A.M. when I finally got back to my own room. I was completely and genuinely happy, and didn't want to fall asleep to the inevitable nightmares that were sure to come. So I sat and thought. Let my mind wander back to my old life, back to mom and dad, back, back, back…

_**Flashback**_

_It was sunny. Very sunny, and mommy and daddy and I were outside playing dress up. I was a fairy, mommy was a ballerina, and daddy was a pretty princess. Mommy left to go to the store, and daddy went to go wipe off his princess makeup. So I stayed and played with my dollies. A boy sat next to me, and I said hi. He told me his name was Jayden, and he smiled. I smiled back._

"_But he's real! I can see him, and hear him, and touch him! That makes him real!" Mom looked at dad and bit her lip. Dad nodded at her, and she turned back toward me. "Honey, you know what we've been telling you? About how you're special?" I nodded, not sure where she was going or what that had to do with Jayden. "Well," she hesitated, "Jayden is special, too. And so, since you're so special and he's so special, you're the only one who can see him." I stared at her for a while, horror-struck. "So…so he's…Jayden is….a ghost?"_

_Royce laughed, and it sounded sort of maniacal to me. Of course, it may have just been the fact that he was standing over me holding a glass bottle, or maybe it was because I was backed up against the rickety fence on top of our house. The wind blowed my hair in my face, and I knew this must be what my mom felt like when she first lived here, except this time, there's no Derek to save me. I was all alone with Royce, and as he got nearer with the glass, I knew that I was going to die. I closed my eyes, and got ready for the bottle to pierce my skin. But it didn't . Instead, I heard a familiar voice, filled with rage. "Get your fucking hands away from her!" I opened my eyes to see Jayden, his black hair flowing in the wind, and his fists curled up. My heart lifted just at the sight of him standing there. Royce turned toward him and laughed. And that's when Jayden punched him in the face. Royce disappeared, and Jayden turned his attention toward me, with a much more tender look on his face than the one he gave Royce. He rushed over and asked "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? If he hurt you, I will KILL him! AGAIN!" I tried to stand up, but I fell, and Jayden pulled me up. "No, I'm fine. It's just…" I looked at him, "You saved me. You stood up for me. Why?" At this point I was standing, and Jayden's hands were still holding on to mine. He looked back at me, and said, "I care about you. You think I would just stand there and let him hurt you?" He had a look on his face that I could only describe as hopeless. "Never in a million years." I replied. He gave me a little smile. And I realized: the setting was perfect. The guy had just saved the girl, the wind was blowing our hair in our faces, and we were looking into each other's eyes as if we could see each other's souls. And Jayden seemed to realize it too, because his little smile grew bigger as he cupped my face in his hands, and leaned his face down toward mine._

_I paced the hallway, lost in thought. My mind was whirling around in circles, and I kind of felt like crying. Jayden appeared next to me, and held my hand. He gave me a big smile, but it dimmed when he saw my face. "What's wrong, E.V.?" I rolled my eyes at his use of my nickname, which he insisted on using because my name was too long. "How can you be so happy?" I asked. The look on his face told me he was hurt. "Jayden, it can't work. How can it? You're a __ghost. __You're dead, Jayden. You can't…we can't…" A tear dripped down my face. He wiped it off with his thumb and looked at me. "When have the rules of life ever stopped you before? You can see things others can't. You're part werewolf, part necromancer, part shaman, part witch, and part sorcerer. You can fly, for pete's sake! We can make it work! " His voice was desperate, his eyes looking urgently looking into mine. I looked down to our intertwined hands, then back up to his face. " You really think so?" His eyes lit up his face with newfound hope. "I __know__ so." _

_**End Flashback**_

When I woke up I found that my pillow was covered in tears. I looked at my face in the mirror and it, too, was tear ridden. I raised a towel to my face to wipe off the tears. I missed Jayden more than words can describe. He was-_is_- my mate, and nothing can ever change that. Not even death.

When I looked up at the mirror, I saw something that made me gasp in shock. Or, more of, I didn't see something. Because the tips of my fingers weren't there. I was fading away. Something had gone wrong. Something had gone horribly wrong.

So let me revise that previous statement. Nothing can ever change that. Except me not existing.

**DUN DUN DUUUUUN! Cliffhanger! Yes, this is what I give you, but worry not fine readers, for the next chapter is SPLIT REALITY! And that's where the real fun begins. So remember: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **

**Your partner in crime, **

**Alix Marie**


	7. Split Reality

**Me: HEY YOU GUUUUUYS!**

**Derek: HOLY CRAP! YOU'RE BACK! EVERYONE HIDE!**

**Me: Haha, very funny. You realize that I already killed you off, right?**

**Derek: HAHAHAHA- wait, NOOOOOO! *poofs away***

**Sarah: What are you doing back so early?**

**Me: I'm glad you asked. *turns and faces audience* You guys are the best readers ever. Not. Even. Kidding. Do you know how many people have read my story? A lot, that's how many. I LOVE YOU GUYS! And now, a plentiful bounty of cookies from the ESTATIC author who doesn't own darkest powers, and probably never shall! Oh, and by the way, I don't own Back to the Future. Or Abraham Lincoln, for that matter. Or Princess Bride, or Corpse Bride, or any other type of bride, either. Although I really wish I did.**

**(::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) And for those of you who don't like chocolate chip: (#) BEHOLD THE SNICKERDOODLE! So nom on those as you enter….DUN DUN DUN! SPLIT REALITY! Oh, and by the way, I changed the villain's name to Pyre. It sounds cooler, and is less easy to FIGURE OUT! *glares at plot-figure-outers* Oh, and if you don't like swearing…. Go watch Barney, ya wimps. :)**

**Oh, and P.S. - A rapist van is one of those big vans with no windows in the back…or at least, that's what me and my brother call them. Just for future reference, cuz the Edison group seems to have A LOT of rapist vans…wonder what that could mean... _**

"So you're sure you'll be okay here alone?" Andrew's voice cut through my thoughts, slicing like a dagger through my crowded mind. Alone? I almost laughed. As if I could ever get away from the thoughts that haunt me. I would kill to be alone right now. But that wasn't what he meant, and I knew it. Everyone was going to the small abandoned park a couple miles away; they were walking, and I didn't want to walk all that way. Or at least, that's what I told them. I could barely go a couple hours without having a mental breakdown, and a day-long trip to the park wouldn't exactly _ease_ my worried mind. I nodded at him, and gave my best fake smile as to reassure him. Ha. As if I could ever be okay again, ever smile again, ever do anything if I was…

I wanted to say dead. I really did. But that would be a lie, a horrible sick lie, and I knew it. But the thing is, even if you're dead, life goes on. At least if I died, I would live on as a ghost. At least if I died, I would have _had_ a life. But I was not going to die. I wasn't going to live on as a ghost, and I most certainly _won't_ have had a life. Non-existence doesn't exactly let you have those sorts of luxuries. Non-existence doesn't even let you have you. But that's what I was going to be, if I didn't fix this.

I was ripped out of the thoughts that were threatening to engulf me, as they usually did nowadays, by Tori harshly shouting, "Get your BUTS out here! I want to GOOO!" Andrew gave me a small, sympathetic smile, and gently closed the door behind him as he left. I went to the living room window, and watched them as they slipped into the shadowy folds of the forest. As soon as they were out of sight, I tore up the stairs to the room that Chloe, Tori, and I now shared. I stood there for a moment before sinking to my knees and burying my head in my hands, now fully un-gloved.

I stared at where my hands should be, now see-through shapes attached to my arms. I let out a little sob. I reached up to the little crystalline heart at the hollow of my throat and ripped it off my neck. I let go of the flimsy hold I had been keeping on my powers, and I observed in the mirror as Sarah Saldana turned back into Elizabeth Victoria Souza.

**Tori's POV (oooh didn't see THAT coming, now did ya?)**

I grumbled slightly to myself as another branch swung back toward my face. I swear, If Simon wasn't my brother, I would have murdered him for letting them go right before I got there. As I ducked for the millionth time, I reached into my pocket for my phone. I stopped dead in my tracks when I felt the absence of my $400 IPhone in my jeans. _Aw, fuck._ "Andrew! Hey, Andrew!" I shouted as I jogged to catch up with him. He turned around and gave me a puzzled look. "I…forgot….my phone…." I gasped for air as I spoke. "Well," he said, a little reluctantly, "We aren't _that_ far from home…I suppose you can go get it." I jumped for joy and practically sprinted back home.

I slowed down a little bit when I reached the Victorian mansion I was forced to reside in. Sarah was here alone, and judging by how she looked when we left, she was in dire need of a nap, and was probably already asleep. And I would prefer not to get my ass kicked by a thirteen year old necromancer because I awoke the princess from her damn beauty sleep. So I tip-toed across the floor and up the stairs to our shared room. I heard a weird noise, so I stopped for a moment and listened. Yeah- there it was again. It seemed to be coming from our room…Sarah was in there! And she was…crying? What the fuck? I looked through the small slit in the door to reveal Sarah, on the floor, staring at her hands. Or at least, what used to be.

_What the hell is going on here?_ I thought as I looked at her invisible hands. She cried a little again, before she reached up and grabbed her necklace. _Wait…_ I thought, _didn't her parents give her that?_ I observed as she ripped it off in contempt and threw it across the floor. Her body slumped down a little, as if a giant weight was being lifted off her shoulders. I was about to just grab my phone off the little end table in the hallway and leave, when it really got strange. Black and blonde was seeping into her brown hair, sort of like an egg being dropped on her head. Her eyes closed, and when they opened, she had one emerald green and one sea blue. Her normally tan skin paled until she almost looked like a vampire. And her face… fuck no, it couldn't be, it was impossible. But it was. She was a complete and perfect mix of Chloe and Derek.

_What kind of stupid-ass trick has she been pulling?_ Part of me screamed. Another part said, _Well, it does make a lot of sense. _ But most of me was stuck in the endless loop of, _She'_s_ their daughter, she's their daughter, she's their daughter. _ "Holy shit…" I whispered. But as soon as I said that, her eyes snapped open and she turned toward me, fear in her eyes. "Tori! What- why are you here!" She started hyperventilating, "You were supposed to be gone all day!" I put my hand on her shoulder.

My voice dropped down ever quieter, and I managed to croak out, "You're… their daughter? They were the ones in the stories?" Her head hung as she admitted defeat, and she gave a small shake to confirm my accusations. "That means…you came back? To save them, I mean." She nodded again, and was about to continue her staring match with the floor when she seemed to remember something and raised her head, her eyes desperate. "Tori…Tori you can't tell anyone. I mean, it's hard enough normally to tell your parents that you're their child and they're going to die, it's even harder when they completely HATE each other, and now…" She paused for a moment. "They're not ever going to be together, and them knowing will help nothing. " She glanced down at her hands.

I put two and two together. "It's like…Back to the Future, right? You're fading because…" My eyes widened. She gave a little fake-laugh. "Because Simon and Chloe are falling in love." She finished for me. "And that's why you hate him so much, because he's making you not exist." I laughed a little as a thought came in my head, "Well, at least you have one advantage over Back to the Future." She wiped her eyes and asked, "What's that?" I wrapped her up in a hug as I said, "At least your dad doesn't have the hots for you." She gave a small laugh before burying her face in my shoulder and practically drowning me in her tears. _Ew. _

**Normal POV (well, as normal as it can get)**

"Tori's on my side." I spoke it aloud in the big, empty hall, trying to simply state the facts and see if it would get any less confusing. "Tori's on my side?" I asked no one in particular. How could past Tori be my only hope? The swearing, fun loving, ass kicking girl who only looked out for herself, was now looking out for me? Inconceivable! "Tori's…on my side!" I exclaimed as the realization dawned on me that, yes, that ass kicking girl _was_ on my side, and with her, there was no doubt that I could face whatever Pyre throws at me.

***A Couple of Hours Later***

Everything was in complete and utter chaos. Or at least, it used to be. It's actually pretty peaceful right now, with everyone else asleep. But I guess it was understandable how they freaked out, considering what events had transpired in the past few hours. We were currently all in the back of an Edison Group van, heading toward their head quarters, and I was the only one awake. They had tranquilized us after they murdered Andrew and Gwen, but they only gave me an amount that a necromancer would need, so my body overcame the artificial sleep quicker than they could. Derek should be waking up any time now, but considering the Edison group knows how strong he is, they probably gave him a double dose.

The huge doors in the back of their rapist van opened up, and light shined upon the four sleeping teenagers, and the one fake-sleeping thirteen year old, too. They carried us out of the van and into the building. I opened my eyes just a tiny bit, not enough that would be noticed, but still enough to see, to get a layout of the building, and to memorize their security codes. They put me in a room alone, and hit me with another round of anesthetics. I struggled to stay awake, because I knew that they would probably be doing some sort of tests, and little spells like my cloaking one can't hide your DNA signature. In short, they would find out.

I woke up a little bit later, and I found that I was still alone. I had no IV's or anything attached to me, and I took that as a sign that they hadn't preformed surgery on me. Not yet, at least. I was just waiting for the blood samples they inevitably took to come back. I would be called a freak. A mistake. Unnatural. It wasn't everyday a super-supernatural was born. And it most certainly wasn't everyday that people would accept it.

"I'm NOT a MISTAKE!" I yelled out to no one in particular. I remember shouting that before, screaming it in the face of the person who started this whole mess. I remember him giving me a little sympathetic smile, and saying, "Of course you're not, dear. But, unfortunately, you are." That phrase has haunted me my whole life, and, frankly, scared me to death. Because that man, the one who believed me to be a freak of nature, really truly meant that. To the point of murder, he believed it. _And it's my fault._ That's the part that scares me the most. He's right. My parents meant for me to be born, and so I wasn't a mistake. But when you throw in my unnatural powers, it makes me a mistake.

At first, he wasn't hostile. He was actually trying to be helpful, in his twisted way. He was a scientist, and he was trying to work out what he called an "antidote". He tried to make my parents choose either werewolf or necromancer, and they refused to. He tried and tried, but my parents wouldn't budge.

Then his mind started to slip. He openly expressed his disgust of me to my parents and myself. And when my mother yelled at him for letting me hear, he slapped her. That's when I realized he wasn't to be trusted. I could see his aura, which was normally a sunshiny yellow, start to turn night black. He was, deep down inside, evil. And nothing could ever change him.

But my parents could have been saved, if it wasn't for me. I remember the day perfectly, as if it were yesterday. Except for the fact that yesterday is about 15 years from now.

_**Flashback**_

_ I squinted my eyes in total concentration. My hands were only emitting sparks of light, but I needed more. I gave up for a minute, and walked over to the little coffee table, where there was a plate of warm cookies. I sat down and ate a few of the gooey treats. I downed my glass of milk, and wiped the crumbs off my pink dress. My mommy would kill me if I got my dress dirty. _

_ I went back and stood in the middle of the room. This time, I closed my eyes. I cupped my hands around the air in front of me, and concentrated harder than I ever had before. I slowly opened my eyes to reveal my hands, now holding a shining ball of light. I gave a great big smile. My first fireball! How exciting! Now, to smother it before I caught something on fire. This was the hard part, and I any loss of concentration could send the fireball flying._

_ I turned toward the giant bay window, where the sun was shining brightly through. I widened my fingers until they were holding the fireball and not just letting it rest in them. I pushed my hands slowly together, until my fingers were touching. Now came the REALLY hard part. I had to turn my hands very slowly until the fireball was encased inside of them without letting the fireball slip out. After I did that all I had to do was smash it between my hands, and I would have successfully completed my first ACTUAL fireball._

_ I turned them very, very slowly, and I was about half way there, when I heard a shout come from the door. "Elizabeth Victoria! What are you doing?" The peaceful silence was completely shattered as he stormed in the room. The sudden noise jolted me out of my concentrative state, and I lost control of the fireball. It flew out of my hands, and I watched in horror as the rogue fireball flew straight toward his face. His eyes widened as he saw it, and he tried to duck, but it was already too late. _

_ It was horrible. His face- it was… unbearable to look at. The fireball completely burned off his face, and though I got help as soon as I could, it was already too far gone. I watched with guilt and disgust as he walked out of the hospital. Instead of a face, he had a skin-covered ball on top of his neck. No hair, no eyes, no nose, no mouth, no ears. And as he made his way to the car, I could have sworn I saw him glare at me with the eyes he didn't have. When I saw that, I realized something. He was already looking fervently for a reason to kill me, and I had just handed it to him on a silver platter._

_ I had just created my own mortal enemy. _

_**End Flashback**_

I sat there for a while, lost in thought of the past, of what I did, of what I could have prevented. It was very quiet in the room, and it reminded me too much of the past. I expected Pyre to walk in, holding my parent's dead bodies in one hand, and a knife in the other, ready to kill me off and finish the job he had already started. I realized I was shaking, and tried to stop thinking such disturbing thoughts, but my mind just kept moving.

I tried to distract myself by analyzing the room surrounding me. White walls, white floor. One white hospital bed and one white door. No windows. I went over to the door. It didn't even have a handle! I tried pushing it, but to no avail. My fingernails weren't long enough to pry the door open, so it looked like I was stuck. I sighed. I had to get out of here.

I had to get out of here! I had heard that phrase before, in one of mom's stories. But which one? I struggled to think, to remember back to those stories which, at the time, had seemed completely pointless. Something… yes! It was the one about the time they were…captured by the Edison Group! Of course! But how did they get out of it? I thought until my head started to hurt. It was…Liz! The ghost! She was there! She did…something…and then Derek came and saved them! I jumped up and did a little happy dance. We were going to be saved! We were getting out of here!

We were doomed. Once I was done with my happy dance, I realized this. Derek was kidnapped too. And I was going to be discovered by the Edison Group, and labeled as a time-traveling freak of nature. I would have tests performed on me, and they would keep me here forever, or at least until I stopped existing. Until I stopped existing. I HAD to get out of here, I had to get Derek and Chloe back together.

But how the hell was I going to do it?

** That's right folks! Story time's over! I figured that since I'm now into page 6 and over 3,000 words, I should probably stop now. If I actually gave you the cliffhanger I intended to give you, I would probably be into like 10,000 words. So be thankful that you aren't getting one this chapter, but be prepared for the next chapter! You will all get your cliffhanger…OF DOOOM!**

** Oh, and by the way: YOU GUYS ARE THE BEEEEAST! And there will be no dispute!**

** ~ Alix Marie**


	8. Escape

**Me: MWAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm an evil doctor :)**

**Sarah: And what makes you say that Alix?**

**Me: I'm not Alix. I'm Dr. Alix, and I have a disorder that makes me prone to evil laughter. And because Gigi is making me that evil doctor that KILLS YOU! MWAHAHAHAHA!**

**Pyre: Stop threatening her. That's my job.**

**Me: And how exactly do you plan to do that?**

**Pyre: I'll go back in time and kill you while you're still a defenseless unborn child. **

**Me: AAAAAAH! You're scary! Ok, ok, you can kill Sarah. I ain't got no problem with it.**

**Sarah: What? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to save me, you meanie!**

**Me: I'm not a meanie anymore. I've reformed. I am now just a humble author who doesn't own Darkest Powers… or the Twilight Zone. So DON'T PATRONIZE ME!**

**You're traveling through another dimension - a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone! Happy Halloween everybody!**

I pulled the sleeves up on the white hospital gown so that I could examine my arms. I rubbed the little spot in the crease of my arm where they had injected me with the anesthetic, and tried not to think about the fact that I couldn't see what I was rubbing. However long I had been in this bland off-white room, it was long enough for the fading to spread halfway up my arms. Time meant nothing to me anymore, because as far as I knew it was a quarter to non-existence, and the only thing that mattered was escape.

I sighed and looked around the room once again. I had pretty much given up all hope. I could feel, deep down in my bones, that my power was dwindling. I took all the strength I had just to keep my disguise up, and even that wouldn't work in a few minutes. How in the world could I have hope when my situation was completely hopeless? There was only one way to get out, and I refused to do it. To do that would be to give up on my mission, on saving my parents, and it was better that I died here and now than giving up on them.

I felt a small drop of salt water dribble down my cheek. I couldn't be in a worse situation. It was all too… surreal. Something wasn't right here, in this little white room with no way of escape. It has to be a dream…yes, it must be! A simple product of my imagination. I got up out of the bed, and shouted at the ceiling, "I'M ASLEEP!" as if it was the answer to all the world's problems, which it probably was. I decided that, if I was asleep, that I wanted to have some fun. So I danced a little dance, and whispered, "Bibbidy bobbidy booo!" and suddenly there was a unicorn party! YAY! I jumped in the air and did a back flip. Hey…I didn't know I could do a back flip! Whoopeee!

**Tori POV (Because I like Tori, that's why!)**

Did I mention before that I hated running? Because I do, you know. Which is why this moment in time was THE worst moment of my fucking LIFE! I was literally sprinting down a long hallway, like the kind in a dream, where you never seem to get to where you're going. Except in this case, I was running from something: an angry, murderous group of Edison employees. I knew this ground; we had been in here for about a week, and we had got enough intel to make a break for it. Unfortunately for us though, Sarah…I mean, Elizabeth Victoria… was stuck in room 12-B, the room at the exact fucking OPPOSITE of the building. So we were all running.

I threw open the door in a frenzy. And if I hadn't been in such of a hurry, I might have laughed. Because there, in the middle of the room, was Elizabeth Victoria, dancing with what she was calling, 'Mr. Bob Unicorn Jr.', and asking it if it wanted tea. But no. We were in danger. This was not the time for this. I knew she wouldn't come with us willingly. But there wasn't enough time to convince her to come with us. So I grabbed her arm and dragged her with us out the door to our rescue vehicle; a group of motorcycles. There were only for bikes; originally, the girls would share one, the boys would share one, and E.V. would have her own. But she was obviously not in any condition to pilot any sort of moving vehicle. So I forced a blushing Derek and embarrassed Chloe to share a bike, let Simon have his own, and shoved E.V. on my bike.

We took a path that went through the woods a couple of times, just to lose their trail. Derek gave me the signal that it was all clear, and I lead the way back to safety. Or at least, what E.V. referred to as safety. For some reason, she kept telling us to go back to the house where we were kidnapped at. I don't understand her logic, but seeing as it was the first intelligible thing she's said all day, I'll take it as a sign. A sign of what, exactly, I don't know, but I can feel it in my bones; something is about to happen, and it's gonna be BIG.

**Just a little filler chappie today! Tomorrow's my birthday, so I didn't have much time in between all of the birthday excitement. But on a more related topic… now you have to deal with a mentally confused Sarah! So, what were you guys for Halloween? (I know you went, no matter how old you are, so don't even try to deny it) Let me know it the comments I know you lovely readers are just waiting to bestow upon me!**

** Imma eat ur soul,**

** Alix Marie**


	9. Crazy

**Previously on Crystalline Heart; E.V. reveals her secret to Tori right before they are kidnapped by the Edison group. E.V. goes crazy, and Tori has to plan an escape all by herself. Chloe is falling for Simon, making E.V. fade away and ultimately making the plot of my story much more interesting. And that's what you missed on GLEE! Umm….I mean… Crystalline Heart…uh, yeah. **

**I don't own this and that and BLAH BLAH BLAH. Just please don't egg my house :)**

I stared at the little foaming bubbles. They were just floating around, minding their own business. Nothing to worry about, just being the foam they were. Until-BAM! - a spoon stabbed through and jostled the perfect balance. I stirred the spoon around, making sure the foam was disrupted past the point of repair. And then I let it go and waited. The little milky film formed once again on my cup of coffee. And I jabbed it again. The foam was once again scattered around the cup. I couldn't help feeling a little jealous of the coffee foam. At least it had time to repair itself before the next blow came. At least it got a little bit of tranquility before the storm. I never got any of that kind of thing.

"Are you sure you don't want me to warm that up for you?" I looked up from my cup to see Chloe giving me a sympathetic look. "You've just been staring at if for a half hour." I looked at her face, completely bewildered. "Whaa… monkey?" I asked. She just gave a little sigh. "No, Sarah. Cooo-ffeee." She talked to me like I was a stupid person. Which I might as well have been. My mind was pretty screwed up from the captivity. I was very sensitive about my claustrophobia. I stared deep into the coffee once again, and Chloe gently gave me a pat on the back and took it to the other room to put it in the microwave. I remembered when I was traumatized beyond repair as I listened to the low hum coming from the kitchen.

_**Flashback (Oh, you know you want it!)**_

_ It was a warm, sunny afternoon, as most afternoons were in the Victorian mansion I called home. Jayden and I walked along our lake, a small pond we had found in the middle of our woods, hand in hand. As with all other spirits, he was completely tangible to me, the only sign of his being a ghost the slight bluish glow in his aura. I was perfectly content in every sense of the word. I worried of nothing of the future, my entire world revolving around that wonderfully amazing moment in time. However, as all things eventually do, it ended sadly and abruptly. Jayden's head tilted slightly to the right, as if he heard something. "Jay, what is it?" I asked, worry piercing through my seemingly calm words. "I hear something… stay here, I'm sure it's nothing. I'm just going to go check it out." He gave me his beautifully sweet smile that he reserved only for me, and departed from our little slice of paradise. I let my complete and utter joy burst through the surface with a brilliant smile. My life couldn't get any better. I was in love…_

_ My thoughts were cut off by a rustling in the woods to my left. My mind switched to defensive mode immediately. I planted my feet firmly in the ground and put my palms out in front of me. "Who's there?" I demanded to know, "Show yourself. Now." Suddenly, an old man crept out from the bushes. I immediately dropped my defenses at the sight of him. His grey hair was sparse and spotty, and he had a terrible slouch. My mind decided that he was not a threat to me. I suddenly became very embarrassed… I had just yelled at an old man. "I'm sorry. I thought you were an intruder. Are you okay? If you need to get home, you can use our phone if you like." I gave a friendly smile, and the old man walked a few steps and adjusted his lab coat. "No, I'm just fine." The man's tone was very bitter, and he wore a cold smile."Oo…kay? Oh, I almost forgot to ask! What's your name?" The man's malicious smile widened, and he suddenly stopped slouching. He took a pair of glasses out of his pocket and put them on. Out of the trees behind me, big bulky men dressed in all black entered the little grove and surrounded me. Something was very, very wrong here. _Trap! _My mind screamed. _It was a trap!_ But the revelation came much, much too late. The last thing I saw before being shoved in a cold, dark cage was that man grinning hatefully at me. _

_ "Oh, by the way Elizabeth Victoria," I heard from outside my metal prison that would haunt me for the rest of my life, "It's Davidoff. Dr. Marcel Davidoff."_

_**End Flashback**_

I shivered. It was the first experience I had with the terrible, cruel place we dare to call home. My first experience in the real world. And it had scarred me deeply, with cuts that might never heal. I ran my hand through my hair, expecting to feel my long, wavy locks of black-blonde hair. But I was stopped short when I felt the short, mousy brown bob that was attached to my head. _Where'd my hair go?_ I wondered. And then everything came back to me; my parents, the time travel … my inescapable fate. _ My gloves!_ I gasped as I looked down at my hands. Yes, there were the black-as-night gloves that I had donned about a week ago. Thank goodness no one had taken them off… they were currently my lifeline.

I grasped at my neck, desperately seeking the comfort and solace of my little heart-shaped necklace. I held it in my palm, and ran my thumb over the rough texture of the diamond on the front. I slowly laid my head down on the soft pillow sitting next to me. I was tired…so tired. I pushed the necklace up against my face, like a little girl with a stuffed animal, as I slowly drifted off into the land of dreams.

"Tori, tell them when they wake up that I'm going for a walk." I shrugged on my little jacket and opened the door to the night sky. It was beautiful, all the stars shining so brightly in the sky like they did. Nobody ever appreciated this; nobody ever noticed how the world was when it wasn't overcome with pain and sadness. My mom, dad and I used to walk out on nights like these and look up at the constellations. I looked up, and the sky was so clear that I could see all the ones Dad had showed me. He was a real science geek, but he loved chemistry the most. I, however, loved the stars. I leaned back against one of the trees in the dark woods, and started to identify the constellations; Ursa Major and Minor, Draco, Orion, and when I couldn't see any more, I made up little patterns with my mind. To my right was a bell, to my left was a heart, and right in front of me was… the sunrise. How long had I been gone? It was a long trek back home… I had better get going.

I know this sounds really cheesy, but it was quiet. Too quiet. All the lights in the house were off, and if you dropped a feather on a soft mattress a mile away, it would be eardrum-blowing loud. There weren't even any birds chirping. Something was up. I entered the house cautiously from a window in the back; an enemy would be expecting a door. Just like I saw from the outside, it was completely dark, contrasting with the budding daylight outside. I tread carefully through the home I knew so well, now feeling like I was in the middle of a horror movie.

I wanted so bad to call out into the house, but that would give a hint to whoever it was that I was here. So I gently tip-toed throughout the house, peeking in every room to see if the intruder was lurking around the corner. I had just turned in to look into the kitchen when a sinisterly familiar voice came from behind me, its icy tone cutting through my heart and chilling me to the core. "Elizabeth Victoria, how nice to see you again. It's been ages." I knew that voice. It haunted my dreams. "Pyre." I turned around to see the faceless demon that had murdered my parents. "Oh, now, Elizabeth Victoria, why are you wearing this silly disguise? There are no secrets between us. Why don't you revert to your original form?" I glared at him as I ripped my necklace off and threw it across the room, where suddenly, Chloe, Derek, Tori, and Simon appeared out of nowhere. "You…you tricked me." He laughed heartily as I changed back into my true form.

I reached out and shot a fireball at him. He caught it with skill and accuracy. "Wrong move, little E.V." And our battle began. He would shoot spells, and I would shoot them back, dodging and kicking and doing everything I could to try to defeat the menace. But, despite my superior powers, he was still older and more experienced. He pinned me against the wall, and I struggled, but it was no use. "Go on," I gasped, "Kill me. Finish what you meant to do." He just laughed in that annoying way of his, loudly and joyously, as he let me go. "I didn't come here to kill you, Elizabeth Victoria." I stepped away, a little cautiously. "Then…then what _did_ you come here for?"

He pulled a small object out of his pocket, one that looked slightly like an egg. "I came here because I have something you want." I looked skeptically at the egg-thing, and replied, "The only thing I could want you took away from me." He gave a little sigh and tilted his head at me. "Oh, now, be fair. This little object-" He lifted the little egg in the air, "Can show you what you want most in the world. All you have to do to get it is give up this silly little quest of yours. " I immediately stiffened at his mention of my parents, but I was intrigued. "Nothing could make me give it up." He chuckled and pushed a little button on the side of the egg. "Not even this?" he asked as he appeared in front of me.

His chocolate brown eyes stared straight into mine, his black hair moving in some invisible wind. "J…Jayden?" I gasped. There was something…different about him, and my eyes widened as I realized. "You….you're alive."

**CLIFFIE! I am feeling the hate now. I was writing this, and just thought, you know what, I'm going to put this as a cliffhanger. I totally didn't want to make it one, but it just sounded like a good idea. Well, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed. **

** Nightie-Night,**

** Alix Marie**


	10. Discovery

**Do you know what time it is? Thaaaat's right! It's Christmas sing-along time!**

**OOOOOOOH….Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way, Check out my cool disclaimer I hope that it's not cliché... Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way, Well I better stop singing now so enjoy the story! HEY!**

He was there. He was right there. And…alive. It had to be a trick. It just _had _to be. I wanted to question Pyre, because I knew it wasn't real, it couldn't be, but…I couldn't speak. He was _alive_. I reached my hand out, to see if I could touch him. His face was a mask of shock almost identical to mine. He reached his hand out too, and then….our hands met. And I knew for sure; he was real.

"E….Elizabeth V…Victoria…..wh…is that….is that really you?" he stuttered out. My lip trembled as I slowly nodded my head in confirmation. His face filled with relief, and he enveloped me in a warm hug, the kind only a living being can bestow. I buried my face in his shoulder. "I thought I had lost you forever. I mean, I came by one day, and you weren't there…and I….I…" He trembled a little before finishing his sentence, "It was horrifying. I thought you were dead. Where are you? Where did you go? Your aunt's worried about you. _I'm_ worried about you." I didn't answer, just hugged him tighter. "E.V., please, tell me." I pulled back and looked at him earnestly. "I can't tell you, Jayden."

He looked really, really hurt. I sighed, and turned my head toward the corner where Derek, Chloe, Tori, and Simon were all standing, trapped by a paralyzing spell. He looked over, and turned back toward me with a look of protective anger on his face. "How could you be that STUPID? Do you know how DANGEROUS that is?" I gave him a pleading look. "Jayden, I had to. You know I did."

And then I couldn't feel him in my arms anymore. He was there, he was alive…and then, he wasn't. I turned my blind anger toward Pyre. "Where the hell is he? What the hell did you do to him?" He chuckled. "THAT is what you want. And I can give it to you. Just give up your quest, and you can have him. Alive, that is." I tried to attack him, but was blocked by some sort of force field. "You can't. It's impossible. He's dead. D. E. A. D. dead." The skin right above where his eyes should be raised as he asked me the most cryptic question I've ever heard. "Or is he? Think about my offer." And then he disappeared.

I stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened. And then, from behind me; "What the HELL just happened? Who the FUCK are you?" I closed my eyes as I turned to face the questions that were thrown at me. "Uh, that was…um…I can't tell you." I couldn't see him, but I could feel the floor shake as Derek approached me. "Don't give me that shit. You've been telling us one huge fucking lie. Tell me the truth. NOW." I took a deep breath, and I shook as I exhaled. "You want to know? Fine. But I warned you." And then I opened my eyes.

There was a look of shock on his face, on all their faces, and I could almost see them running through ever second they'd ever spent with me, trying to deny what they saw in front of them. But there was no doubt. I was a complete mix of Derek and Chloe. A smart-aleck voice broke the silence. "Well THAT was a stupid decision." Tori was lounging on the couch, with her eyebrows raised at me.

"Wh-what….y-y-you're….? A-are y-you…?" Chloe left her question hanging, begging me with her eyes for it not to be true. I sighed, and looked around the room. Tori was still laying on the couch, Chloe looked very scared, Derek seemed as if he was still under the paralyzing spell, and Simon…well, Simon looked like he was about to cry. "Look…it's a long story. You might want to sit down." Chloe nodded and sat on the very edge of the couch next to Tori. Derek became un-frozen and sat on the opposite end. Simon and his teary eyes sat in the last available spot. I would have been almost comical, if I had been in the mood to laugh.

"I'm the most powerful being in the world. I'm part necromancer, part werewolf, part shaman, part witch, and part sorcerer. Nobody knows why or how. I just…am. And one day, I was practicing fireballs, and…I burnt his face off. He swore revenge on me…he murdered my parents. So I used my powers to disguise myself so that I could come back here to warn them." I looked up at Chloe and Derek, "To warn you. I came too early though. Back before you were together. And…I screwed things up. Messed up the balance. And I shouldn't be telling you all this, but it seems the only way to keep _this_ from happening." I lifted up my sleeves and tore off my gloves, revealing the blank space where my arm used to be.

Their eyes widened even more than they were, if that was even possible. "I'm fading. When Chloe didn't kiss Simon, well….she was supposed to. She would have ended up realizing that she loved Derek. But I guess I screwed that up too. And now, the future is changing. Unfortunately, it's to one where I don't exist." I sighed.

I scanned their faces. Simon wasn't crying, but I wasn't sure he was completely alright. Derek and Chloe were looking pointedly away from each other, both blushing like mad. And Tori was….well, being Tori. "So now you know. Now you know everything. So I guess….I guess this means that you've been warned. And I've fulfilled my purpose here. I need to return to my own time before everything gets out of hand."

I stood in the yard, feeling the summer breeze run through my hair. I gave a warning glance to the people standing next to me. "You might want to back up a little." They all took a step back, and I readied myself. I reached up to my necklace, the one that I had ripped off earlier. I took the crystalline heart out of the middle, and shoved it in my pocket. I gave them a little smile, concentrated all my powers, and began the little dance. My arms twirled gracefully in the air, swirling around like a ballerina in her debut. It was the dance of time, and I was the star of the show. My whole body conveyed the passage of time. And for the final move, I swept my arm in a circle and let it carry my body into a twirl, transporting me through time. I thought I felt the tips of my fingers brush something, but it must have been the wind.

I opened my eyes, and took in the sights before me. Everything was old and decaying. The forest was overgrowing, and there was a little swingset in the yard. It seemed like my home. But there was only one way to find out.

I walked slowly into the house. There was light pouring in through the windows, and I could see little dust mites in the beams. I took a big, deep breath before calling out into the empty building. "Mom? Dad? Are you here?" My voice quivered on the last word, but I held my tears. I waited, but there was no response. "H-hello?" My voice cracked, and the tears began dripping, slowly and silently, from my eyes. They weren't there. It didn't work. They were dead. Everyone I loved was dead. Mom, Dad, Uncle Simon, Jayden…

My breath caught. Jayden! He was here! If anyone could comfort me, it would be him. I ran outside, my tired feet taking me as fast as I could go to the little lake that we would always meet up at. As I reached our little slice of heaven, I called out to him. "Jayden! Jayden! I'm here! I'm back! Jayden!" I waited, but there was no Jayden. I tried tugging on the little string in my mind that connected me to him, but it wasn't there. Where was he? Did he move on while I was in the past? Did I do something in the past that stopped him from us ever meeting? "Oh, no. Please, no." I gasped. I had lost everything. Everything I had ever cared about. Everyone I had ever loved. I was all alone.

I started to sob. All I could see was the pond in front of me, the pond that reminded me of all that I'd lost. I curled up in a ball and cried myself to sleep.

_**E.V.'s Dream**_

_ My feet dangled in the water, creating little ripples in the pond. _ _I could hear splashing coming from the other end, and I looked up to see Jayden walking across the pond toward me. I gave him a warm smile. He returned it with a cold glare. Suddenly, he was lifted out of the water by Pyre. I screamed, and yelled at Jayden for him to help me. But he was just a puppet. Pyre advanced, and with one fireball, wiped out the whole forest._

_I ran and ran, until I was in my living room. Young Derek and Chloe were there, along with my parents. Pyre walked in, and I hid behind young Chloe. But she just laughed and walked over to Pyre. Young Derek followed her, and I watched as Pyre ate them both. I started to cry and ran to hide behind my parents, but they just smiled and waved. Pyre grabbed me by the ankles and started to drag me away to his dark lair, and I watched as my parents faded away into the mist. My mom mouthed, 'The forest!' and I cried out to her, but every sound was soon drowned out by the sound of someone screaming. Who was screaming? It sounded like…_

_**END DREAM! **_

I woke up screaming.There were little imprints on my face shaped like leaves, and I had a pounding headache. Why was I out by the pond? What the heck happened? And then it all came flooding back to me. Pyre, my secret being busted …my parents and Jayden. And what in the world did 'the forest' mean, anyway? I was too confused and depressed to figure it all out. My life was in ruins, and only I was to blame. I sighed, and laid back against the cold, hard ground. How did things end up so horribly? Oh, I know. Because I suck.

I decided that I was wasting my life just laying there on the grass, and, although I really didn't have a life anymore, I decided that I was going to take a romp through the woods. So I hauled my sorry little butt off the ground and into the trees. Then suddenly, I heard a noise coming from my distant left. It sounded like…no, it couldn't be. But I my heart couldn't help but hope as I ran toward the source of the mysterious noise, my bare feet pounding against the autumn leaves. "Mom! Dad!" I called out into the forest, needing more than anything for them to be there. I heard the noise again, a little closer this time. "Lizzie!" I ran even harder upon hearing that voice, and as I burst into the backyard, I wasn't disappointed. I ran straight into my parents' arms.

"Oh my baby, I thought we had lost you." I pulled back to look at my mom's face. She gave me a great big smile, and I smiled back. She turned her head to her left, and smiled at my dad. He smiled at her, and then looked over at me. "Lizzie." His smile turned into a frown, "What were you thinking? Time travel? Do you know how dangerous that is? You could have gotten hurt!" I gave him a pleading look. "Daddy, I had to save you!" His face contorted with anger. "That is no excuse! What if you had faded away? You almost did! That is the stupidest-" He was cut off by my mom. "Derek. This isn't the time for this. Besides," She said, turning to me, "I think she has someone she wants to see." She gave me a knowing look before gesturing behind her. My face lit up, and I ran past my parents to the person waiting for my by the swings.

"Jayden!" I cried as we collided. He wrapped his warm arms around me, enveloping me in his peppermint-y scent. Hmm…Peppermint. I sighed, and inhaled again. Peppermint…the smell of the dead. He pulled back and looked at me with a worried look. "What's the matter?" I looked up at his face, and then down at the ground. "Peppermint." I heard him exhale, and then felt his hand on my chin. He lifted my head up so that I was looking at him. "E.V., whatever he did…it was a trick. I'm not alive, and never will be. But I still love you, Liz, and there's nothing that can stop that." I gave him a little smile. "I love you too, Jay-" I was interrupted by a voice coming from behind me.

"Holy shit." I turned to see what I never expected to see again in my life. They were here…they were all here. So my hand _had_ brushed something after all… well, technically, four somethings. Four teenage somethings. Holy shit was right.

**A Christmas Cliffie! This is my gift to you! I won't be seeing you for a while, seeing as after Christmas I'll be pretty busy. And so I bid you, my loyal fans, a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays.**

** And so, as Tiny Tim observed;**

** God bless us. Every One.**


	11. Update 2

**Hey guys, just a real quick update(A.K.A. apology)! I am sooooo sorry I've been gone for over two weeks, but no, the next chapter won't be coming out any time soon. I had a two week ban from my computer and have been living a miserable existence without it, if that makes you feel any better. So just letting you know that no, I have not abandoned you! Cookies if you don't hate me!**

** Try not to kill me for this,**

** Alix Marie**


	12. Time Warp

**Ahem. I would like to formally apologize to my lovely readers for this *very* long absence of chapters. And I have no excuse. Please forgive me. I promise you all free cookies from this day forth to make up for this dishonor. (::) (::) (::) I hope this will tide you over.**

**You know what I've been wondering? If this is a FANFICTION website where people write FANFICTION, why do we have to write disclaimers? Because if I **_**did**_** own this, it wouldn't be a ****FAN****fiction. Just sayin.**

I felt like hitting my head multiple times on a brick wall. I felt like ripping all my hair out. I felt like jumping off a 10-story building. But instead, I just sat with my head in my hands, wondering how the hell I could have made such a stupid, rookie mistake. I'm an idiot. Of course, admitting that I'm an idiot won't solve my damn problem. Nor did it make me feel better. I jolted a little at a small touch on my shoulder. I looked up to see Jayden giving me a concerned look. He forced out a little smile just for me. I looked back down and continued my sulking.

He sighed. "You know, it's not going to solve anything." I looked up at his face with a question in my eyes. "Sulking around like this. It won't help." He explained. I raised an eyebrow at that phrase, but remained silent. I was determined to loathe myself for the rest of eternity, but his hand gently caressed my face and directed my gaze towards his. "You can get through this. Hell, you already have! You saved _lives_ for God's sake! Compared to that, this is just a pebble!" I looked up at him, knowing that he was right and that I was just being stupid. But this, this wasn't just a pebble. One of the most important rules of time travel is to never unveil your identity, which I didn't. Only Pyre can take the blame for that. But there is another, more uncommon rule, which far outweighs the effects of the first, and I broke that rule.

In fact, I broke it four times. Four times that were currently sitting in my living room sipping cocoa, and who I was currently avoiding. But of course, I had to face my mistake at some point. I grabbed Jayden's hand for support, and led him into the room that contained my doom. I walked very slowly, keeping track of where I was putting my feet so that I didn't happen to fall down. I could hear everything magnified; my heartbeat, my footsteps, the eerie silence coming from the room I was fast approaching. I closed my eyes.

And everything stopped.

When I finally opened my eyes, they were all there, sitting on my living room couch. Simon, Tori, Derek, and Chloe. My mom, dad, and aunt were all there too, my parents on the loveseat and my aunt in the recliner. No one seemed to want to talk except Tori and Tori, who were currently holding an argument over who was wearing the better shoes. My parents were holding hands and sitting _very_ close together, while Derek and Chloe sat blushing at their future selves. And Simon…well, I felt bad for Simon. He looked so guilty, so full of shame, sitting here in a room with the people he knows he's going to murder. And suddenly, I knew what my first task of setting things right had to be. I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "You're not him, you know." He jumped, surprised to be addressed by anyone. "You chose not to be him, and now you never will be. I guess…no, I _know_ that you're the one who saved my parents. And I forgive you for whatever you think that you may have turned into, but you don't need my forgiveness, because you are NOT him." He just stared at me for a moment, and then gathered me into a large bear hug.

Our touching uncle-niece moment was ruined by the phone ringing obnoxiously loud. I let go of Simon and started to walk toward the phone, but my mother waved me back down and answered it herself. I began to get worried when I saw my mother's face. At first, she turned extremely pale, then started shouting, and when she finally walked back in the room she looked very pleased with herself. And I knew there was something terribly wrong. My mother just went on being pleased as she announced to the room, "We're going to have a very special guest." I could see that she was trying and failing to keep up a straight face. My mom always had issues containing her excitement.

We went on like that for a while, just sitting there. It wasn't long, about 5 minutes. It seemed like we were waiting for something, but nobody except my mother knew what. She just kept on grinning and grinning, and honestly, it was really weird.

And then, the doorbell rang. Someone walked in and stood in the doorway, just far enough in the shadows that I couldn't make out the face. My mom let out a squeal and ran over to the mysterious figure, and gave him (I could see enough of him to make out the gender) a hug. But I was on my guard. There was something… very suspicious about this guy. The man extended his hand out to me, as if to shake my hand, and then said, "It's been a long time, hasn't it Elizabeth Victoria." I recognized his voice immediately.

Pyre.

I stumbled backwards, too weak to fight, before warily stammering, "S- stay a-w-way from me." He took a step toward me before pleading, "Please, just give me a chance!" I almost tripped over my own feet trying to get away from him. I was desperate for escape, desperate to get away from this man who made my life a living hell. He stepped toward me, out of the shadows.

And I stopped in my tracks.

I was frozen in place, literally. It felt as if every muscle in my body was paralyzed. Then I looked him in the face, and said the words I hadn't spoken in over eight years. "Uncle Simon!" I grinned at him. And he smiled back, looking at me with the warm glance that I thought had disappeared forever. And I knew that everything was going to be perfect.

If only it were that simple.

**WOOP! Chapter finished! I really am sorry for the procrastination, and I know that this very short chapter makes up for nothing, but guess what? It's almost over! I estimate about three more chapters before the story is finished. I already know how the last few chapters are going to go. And no, there will NOT be a sequel. Not even if you beg and plead. Do not worry grasshopper, you will know why in time :)**

** Alix Marie**


	13. Different

**What? I'm back? WHY YES I AM! My story is drawing to a close…. And, as I said before, there will be no sequel. Believe me, after the last chapter, you won't WANT one. I certainly don't. And now, blah blah, I don't own the frickn' Darkest Powers series, BEGIN THE STORY!**

The forest floor crunched as my feet made their melancholy path. It had been a week, only one week, since everything had gone back to normal. I should be happy. I _was_ happy. And yet, something was bothering me, something dark lurking in the back of my mind, something I kept pushing back. I didn't _want_ to think about it. But the feeling of it was still there, dark and disturbing, making me take these solemn journeys through the woods.

I could feel something in the woods calling to me, something that made me long for the breeze and the fresh air of the outdoors. It seemed like the farther I got, the more the aching hole in my heart was filled. I didn't know why, but there was something missing. It was unbelievable pain and unimaginable grief wrapped up and tied with a bow. It was tearing me apart.

Soon, I came to a clearing where barely any light shone through the canopy. My feet were tired, and I had no idea where I was or how long it was going to take me to get back. I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath. I could feel the sun bathing my body in its light, and I sighed. I was so tired, and it felt so good just to rest. I knew I couldn't rest for long, though, so I pushed myself up and opened my eyes to a strange sight.

On the tree stump that was previously empty, there was now a deck of tarot cards. I walked over to examine this weird sight. The cards were laid out, one over the other, in a circle. The design on the front was peculiar, though. It featured three necklaces wrapped around each other, each one with a different color gem on the end. It was an odd design for a tarot card. I grabbed the first one off the top of the deck and looked at it, curious about the artwork. I gasped and dropped it to the ground. It was only the magician, not exactly an odd card. The picture was an almost exact replica of my uncle Simon. I examined the rest of the cards. All of them depicted people I knew…my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, even people I had only seen pictures of, like Dr. Davidoff. It included everyone… except me.

"I've been expecting you." I was startled from my observations by a woman who looked around twenty. She had curly brown hair swept up into a gypsy scarf. She wore clothes like a gypsy, too. She had a warm smile, and piercing grey-blue eyes that could see into your soul. Regardless of how she looked, this weird deck of tarot cards were obviously hers. "Where did you get these cards?" I questioned. She waved her hand as if to deflect my question and kneeled next to the tree stump. I rolled my eyes. "If you won't tell that, then will you at least tell why you chose _these_ cards?" She started shuffling the tarot deck as she replied, "You do not choose the cards, the cards choose you. Please, let me read your tarot." I didn't really feel up to talking to strange women who hand around in the forest, but I needed to know more about the cards, so I kneeled on the opposite side of the stump.

While she laid the cards into formation, I noticed that her fingernails were a shiny purple color. It made her hands look very graceful as she put the three cards on the stump. She raised her eyebrows at me. "Would you like to turn the cards?" I reached out and flipped the first one over. "Ah," she observed, "The three of swords. There has been much suffering in your past." I was a little surprised that she got it right, but one out of three is just a lucky draw. So I turned over the middle card. It was the moon card, but it was upside down. The woman's eyebrows creased. "A reverse moon. Something is confusing you, and you are very unhappy." Confusion…unhappiness. I was very distressed, but isn't that normal for a teenage girl? And suddenly, I knew why I had been so upset. If Pyre wasn't real anymore, if Simon had no memories of that time, then I didn't…couldn't know what the secret Pyre had was. That meant that there was no possibility that he would ever be human again. A tear slid down my cheek.

The woman gestured to the third card. I reached a shaky hand out and flipped over the last card before turning my face to the ground. "The ten of cups," She whispered, "All problems of the past and present will come together in harmony and happiness." She wiped the tear from my cheek and sighed. "Listen, Sarah, you've got to go there. You've got to promise me to go there. Everything depends on it. Everything your heart wants is there, do you hear me?" Her voice surprised me with its familiarity, and I lifted my face to look at her. But the woman and all of her cards were gone, the only thing left a small yellow sticky note. I picked it up and read the tiny script: 408 Heron Ave., Room 463.

The handwriting was so familiar… I knew I had to go to the address. Suddenly, I was filled with a drive. The woman, whoever she was, had left this message for me, for whatever reason. It was important, I could feel it in my heart. My heart…everything my heart wants. And then it hit me. What my heart wanted was Jayden, alive. And that address held the secret to getting it. So I sprinted out of the forest.

My feet pounded against the hard pavement. Sweat dripped down my face as I drew closer and closer. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I get there. All I knew was that I had to get there, had to find out. My life…no, my love, was on the line. Everything I had wanted, had worked for, was at that address. I could barely breathe at this point, but I knew I had to get there, no matter what. I must have sprinted almost 5 miles already. Then I spotted it. Of course, it was pretty hard to miss.

408 Heron Ave. was a hospital. I guess that's what the room number meant. So I stopped to catch my breath, and then I walked into the hospital. The woman at the front desk was reading a magazine, so I walked straight past. The signs on the walls told me that room 463 was in the Ethan Christman Memorial ward. I walked past countless room and through many identical halls, and the only thing that kept me sane was the gradually increasing room numbers. Eventually, I came to room 463. I knew, whatever or whoever was in here, it held the secret to my happiness. I took a deep breath, and opened the door.

And there was Jayden, laying in a hospital bed.

**BUM BUM BUM! Yes, yes, I know you hate cliffhangers, but you wouldn't read my story if you didn't like them. It's almost over, I'm just wrapping up a few strings. You're going to hate the ending, I just know it. Hey, did you know I'm writing a book? And that….you know what, I'm tired.**

** Night night,**

** Alix Marie**


	14. Love

**Sheeee's BAAAAAACK! And with more heartbreaking news for my dear readers. There are literally only one or two chapters until it's all over. Now, you may cry your eyes out as much as you choose. Oh, that's right, the last chapter was a cliffhanger….I suppose I'll take pity on you and let you read the story. **

My hands were shaking. I couldn't believe it. He was there…right there. But how did he go from there to here? Or, more importantly, from dead to alive? I noticed a clipboard hanging from the edge of the bed. _That tells why they're in the hospital_, I thought. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did. So I walked over to the bed and grasped the clipboard in my hands. I looked over it. _Name: Jayden Garret. _So it definitely was Jayden. _Condition: Comatose._ I looked down at Jayden's sweet face. He was in a coma. It reminded me of a story I heard from my friends about a girl who had been buried alive because people had mistaken her coma for death. And then I realized.

_Mistaken a coma for death._

What if Jayden had never been dead in the first place? What if he just _thought_ he was, when he was really just in a coma? What if we could be together for real? "Jayden!" I whisper-shouted, "I need you! It's urgent!" It was only a few seconds before he appeared with an expression that said "Get the hell out of my way or I will eat your face". After not noticing any immediate danger, he turned toward me and began examining me for any fatal injuries. When he didn't find anything that I would need his urgent help with, he gave me a questioning look. I only gestured to the hospital bed where his body was laying.

His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. "Lizzie," he whispered cautiously, "Who…what…? Is that….me?" I started laughing, and tears of joy fell from my eyes. "Yeah, it is." He gave me a little half-smile, and took a few small steps toward himself. His face turned back toward me for conformation, and I nodded through the tears. Then suddenly, the room was enveloped in a bright light that seemed almost to shoot straight into my soul and warm my heart.

* * *

I was so nervous I thought I was going to sweat off all the makeup Aunt Tori had so meticulously applied. It was five minutes until…._it_ happened, and I was not ready at all. My mom was putting the final touches on my elaborate hairstyle and humming Canon D to herself. I tried to keep myself calm by thinking about, well, anything other than what was waiting for me outside the door, but my mind kept flickering back to it, no matter how hard I tried.

My dad walked into the room wearing what I can only describe as a monkey suit. It looked so odd on him that I couldn't help but giggle. My mom looked up at my laugh and wolf whistled, which only made me laugh harder. Dad shook his head. "Ready to go?" he asked me. I lifted myself out of the chair and sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

_Left…Right…Left…Right…_ I thought at I walked to the beat of the organ. I could see him standing just a few agonizing steps ahead of me, looking ridiculous with his hair slicked down. I couldn't help my mouth from lifting ever so slightly at the sight of him. His eyes twinkled, the lanterns hanging in the sky reflected in their chocolaty depths. The sun was slowly descending behind the lake as I stepped under the arch. The sunset was glorious, and between it and Jayden I was completely baffled. I only came to my senses to say "I do", and then his mouth was on mine, gently caressing my lips. We passed through a rice storm and into the limousine that was to take us to Paris. I took my hair down and sighed as I leaned my head against his chest. He pulled me away from him and looked in my eyes. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Mrs. Garret."

* * *

I scratched desperately at Jayden's hand. I'm sure that by now it has probably gone numb, yet I can't help but hold on for dear life. He gave me a comforting look, but behind it was a wave of agony caused by seeing me in such pain. I gasped, and the doctor egged me on, telling me to push. Suddenly, the room was filled with a high pitched screeching, and I slumped down into the pillow. A few minutes later, she was placed in my arms, her tiny mouth stretched in an "O". I looked up at Jayden and smiled. "What should we name her?" I asked. His eyes moved from mine to hers, and his expression softened. "Eve Marie. Evie for short."

* * *

My hands picked up the wicker picnic basket, and I shared a knowing smile with my husband of 40 years. Eve and Jeremy were parading their children out the front door, and I followed suit with all of the supplies for a day in the park. I stopped for a moment and looked at my wrinkled face and gray hair in the mirror. I remembered a time when I was much prettier, and much sadder. And then I walked out the door.

I walked more slowly than the others, because of my limp, but I didn't mind. The sun was almost blinding, and that only slowed my progress. I looked down the curve of the road, and then I started across.

If only I could have seen the truck.

**BAM! That is the noise Sarah getting hit by a truck makes! Yeah, you heard me, she DID get hit by the truck. She probably dies. :) Just kidding. I'm sorry for the wait, but there really is only one more chapter, and I was sad that this had to end. But it does, and I have a very obscure hint that only weird obsessed weirdos like me would understand; Ever seen Barbie and the Nutcracker? Know how **_**that**_** ends? Yeah. If you get that hint, I applaud you.**

**I'm going to miss you all so much. There will be no sequel, so, unless you feel like reading the other stories I haven't yet written, this is our last communication. I hope you read some great stories.**

** ~Alix Marie**


	15. The End

**Last chapter, guys. No sequel. Oh boy, I'm gonna cry. You're all so nice to me! I wish I could leave you on a better note, but honestly, this is how it has to end. And so now, dear readers, join me in the last chapter.**

I could hear the voice before I could see. It was a familiar voice, but the name was balancing on the tip of my tongue. I wondered for a moment, and then remembered that if I only opened my eyes I could know. My eyes fluttered open, and rested on the gypsy woman. But, instead of her robes and tied-back hair, she dressed in a simple tank top and a pair of shorts, her curly hair flowing like a waterfall over her shoulders. I lifted myself up, and noticed a variety of tubes hanging out of my arms. The woman glanced up from the novel in her hands, and I saw her eyes widen as she excitedly muttered something into a speaker on the wall.

I gasped as she gathered me into a tight hug. Her eyes filled with tears, and she nearly shouted, "Oh, we thought you were dead! We thought you were dead, Sarah!" I was suddenly very confused. What was going on? "Who are you?" I asked her. "You really don't remember?" she replied. I muttered a negative, and she sighed. "My name is Alix. We used to be really good friends." My head cocked to the side as I posed my next question. "And we aren't friends now? Why?" She shook her head. "We… drifted apart. We didn't talk for a long time. We had…different opinions, I suppose. And…oh, Sarah, I'm so sorry!"

She took a deep breath before starting again. "We're both friends with a girl named Jenayle. Well, I've drifted apart from her as well. She wanted to know why, and, well…I told her my opinion of you both. She told you, and apparently you got really angry. You decided to take your favorite book, The Reckoning, and go on a walk. You got really caught up in the book. So caught up that you walked into the road, and…oh, I'm so sorry!" I was even more confused than before. I didn't remember anything she was talking about. The last I remembered, I was going on a picnic with my grandchildren. I rubbed my hands together out of habit. They were so soft, almost baby-smooth….I gasped and looked down at my hands. They _were_ smooth, and there were no wrinkles on the whatsoever. I couldn't be the age I thought I was. I asked Alix for a mirror, and she picked one up from the bedside table.

The hair, the eyes, the face…it all matched perfectly to the disguise I had mustered so many years ago. My hands reached out and touched the mirror. "I…I'm Sarah Saldana." I whispered. Alix looked at me, confusion in her eyes. And then it all came flooding back.

I was Sarah Saldana. I was 16, and I went to a high school, like any other normal kid. The girl next to me was Alix, a confident, beautiful young woman who looked five years older than she really was. I was a normal girl. I didn't have any special powers, or any unnatural beauty like the wonderful Elizabeth Victoria. I was a plain, ordinary person. One obsessed with death, fanfiction, and Darkest Powers. I had been in a coma from being hit by a bus. My entire life was just a dream my unconscious mind made up to try and fulfill my childish fantasies.

It was all a dream.

_It's raining, It's pouring_

_The old man is snoring_

_He went to bed and he bumped his head_

_And he couldn't get up in the morning_

**THE END**


	16. IMPORTANT! Also, I'm Sorry

**Hey...guess what. **

You know how I said NO THERE WILL NEVER BE A SEQUEL EVER SO SCREW YOU ALL MWAHAHAHA? Remember that?

You should all know that I'm a hypocrite.

And indecisive.

And writing a sequel.

~Alix


	17. Wow, I Just Now Wrote a Sequel

**Oh, look. A sequel.  
s/8503693/1/The-Girl-With-the-Ashen-Eyes**

Just...ignore the picture, for now.

Night, my sweets :)

~Alix


	18. Writing Back

Okay. New chapter. Not really.

I got a review from someone named Kitty, but it was a guest, so I couldn't reply, so I decided to reply with a new chapter, if Kitty will even read it. I'm sure the rest of you are wondering what I mean by this, so here you go:

Kitty:Okay. I'll be completely honest now.

This was one of the worst fanfics I've ever read. I tried to read it till the

end in hopes of it getting better but no, it didn't. I tried to like this

Sarah/Elizabeth Victoria and maybe that could have happened if you hadn't made her a Mary Sue. She could have been okay if she had only been a werewolf or a necromancer but no, you had to add a little bit of a shaman and then a bit of a witch and, oh she doesn't have the powers of a sorcerer, lets add these too! NO! You do not do characters like that! There have to be a few faults too to make characters interesting. And all ending in a dream? Honey, it's in writing 101, or something, that thing never should end up being just a dream.

And now I feel bad about all my critic and not saying anything good. I wonder

why I even wrote this... But even if I'm saying just bad stuff you shouldn't

stop writing. I have a feeling that one day you could be good at this. Just

forget all the clichés and try making more original characters and you'll be

wonderful, one day.

Sorry if I made you feel bad.

So that's what I'm talking about. And here is my reply:

Dear Kitty:

Thank you for your criticism! And I honestly mean that in a non-sarcastic way. A few things though, before you go about judging me:

1. If this is the worst fanfic you've read, you obviously haven't heard of My Immortal.

2. I wrote this before I was even aware of what a Mary Sue was

3. When I wrote this, I had not yet taken Writing 101 (in fact, I stated writing this in 6th grade)

4. It ended in a dream because I didn't want to write the story anymore, as I was coerced into writing it from a person who recently stabbed me in the back, and I didn't want to leave it unfinished.

5. I actually am writing a sequel (procrastinating a sequel, I should say) in which it turns out to NOT be all a dream...which is also quite stupid, but don't blame me for things I think up at midnight after about five mountain dews

6. No offense to those who like it, but I really don't like this book series, and writing about it is kinda hard for me ( now pride and prejudice...there's something I could write about)

7. I didn't edit any of my writing...all of it was basically a rough draft that I wrote in a notebook during social studies.

Don't think that I'm mad at you or anything, because I really appreciate the criticism! Honestly, if I had gotten some earlier, I might have been able to salvage the story before it was too late. And believe me, I haven't stopped writing, by any means. So thank you, so very much!

Again, that was NOT sarcasm! Definently not. Except the part about My Immortal. But seriously, if you think THIS is bad, you REALLY haven't read that.

So I guess this is it, readers. Because I hate this story. And, because I know that I'm never ever going to write the sequel, well... I was going to do this later, but since I really have other stuff to do, I think I'll do it now. I'm just going to tell you what I was planning on doing here.

The sequel goes like this: Sarah meets that dead girl and realizes that she can talk to the dead. This makes her very confused, because it brings back repressed memories from her 'dream'. Alix takes her to New York to kill her, which she cant do because she feels guilty, and this brings back more memories and powers. Alix keeps reporting to mysterious guy in the creepy old house place. So somehow( I hadn't really thought about this part yet) she finds out that Alix, her best friend, really betrayed her. She also finds out that she was working for a higher power, though she won't tell who and Sarah won't listen to her actually valid reasons. So at this point, Sarah finds out that she really is EV, and that all of that stuff really happened. So she goes to the house place to find the guy and kill him, because her parents are now really dead and he killed them. And then, surprise!, the guy is Jayden! Yeah, so it turns out that he was never on her side, and that he wants them all to die. Because apparently he's Dr. Davidoff's son. And that he was the only one who could bring back Alix's true love, but he was never actually planning on doing it so that she could be her slave forever. So then she defeats him and Alix's true love comes back, and then I don't know what. The end, I guess.

Sarah, if you're reading this, I just want to say sorry. I thinks that it just needs to be said.

So goodbye, everyone. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Other winter seasons.

Bye.

~ Alix Marie Latta


End file.
